Bajaj Auto will be announcing the 2017 Pulsar range wherein changes to the lineup will be made along with updates to the first generation bikes.
Bajaj Auto has big plans for 2016. The company will launch a new brand under which the VS 400 will be sold while its last launch, the V15 has been a success, selling 30,000 units a month with the automaker targeting sales of 50,000 units a month. With the VS 400 not sitting under the Pulsar brand name, Bajaj hasn’t forgotten the Pulsar, it’s top selling brand and also its oldest.
Rajiv Bajaj, MD of the company, has confirmed that the 2017 Pulsar range will be launched between now and December 2016. He states the change will be significant in both appearance and performance. Another report stated that the first generation Pulsars will get an update later this year. He also stated the reason for not using the Pulsar brand name for the VS 400 by stating that a 400cc Pulsar branded cruiser makes as much sense as a 150cc Royal Enfield bike.
No details on the update have been revealed but considering its the 2017 Pulsar range we are talking about, a few models might just be discontinued and we have bad news for old gen Pulsar fans. With BS-IV emission norms coming into effect from April 2017, Bajaj Auto will have to heavily update its old models to keep them on sale, or axe them, the latter seems likely considering replacement models have been launched.
Here is our speculation, the Pulsar 135, 150, 180 and AS 150 (due to low sales) will be discontinued, while the 220 might get FI, it can be discontinued too but seems unlikely due to its popularity. The 200 NS FI is sold in export markets but won’t be launched in India. Since the Pulsar 135 sells in low numbers, it makes little sense to keep it on sale while the Pulsar 150 can be replaced by the Pulsar 150 NS. The Pulsar 180 makes no sense when the 150 NS produces 17 PS of power. Whatever they do, Bajaj Auto is sure to surprise us.
2017 Pulsar Range
– Bajaj Auto will launch the 2017 Pulsar range later this year
– Some Pulsars are likely to be axed while new models could debut
– Changes to the first gen bikes will have to be mechanical to comply with the upcoming emission norms
– The Pulsar RS 200 and AS 200 will be untouched with no changes
